Electric soldering-tool



110,521,914. Patented June 26, 1894.

l l, HP1,

. Urvrrnn STATES PATENT JAMES F. IVICLAUGHLIN, OF PHILADELPHA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC sci osmNts-roei.,d

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 521,914, dated Tune 26, l1894.

Application filed May 19,1893. Serial No.474,777. (No model.)

'To all whom, it may concern: y

Be it known that l', JAMns F. MCLAUGHLIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ot Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Solderingllools, of which the following is a specification. r

My invention has reference to improvements in electric soldering tools, the object of the improvement being te render such tool elticient for practical use and all its parts aecessible for inspection and repair.

In theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, I have illustrated a practical. embodiment of my invention, bllt thesame may be changed variously without ,departing from the main characteristics of the same. l

Figure l, is an elevation of my improved soldering iron; Fig.'2, an axial section of the saine on line :v-oc ofv Fig. 3. Fig. 3, is a view of a cross section online yy of F ig. 2, looking downward. Fig. 4, is aview of across-section on line e, a' of Fig. 2,1ooking upward, and with the mantle of the soldering tool removed. Fig. 5, is a vertical section of a portion of the l tool, on line su ot Fig. et, and Fig G, is an elevation of a detail of construction with parts in section.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

The essential part of the tool is the portion which is ileated by the passage of the current through a high resistance conductor and which carries the soldering bit proper, the handle of the tool and the stein or neck by 4 which it is connected with the handle being of any preferred ordinary construction and forms ne part et present invention.

The heating conductor l, is disposed upon a spool or bobbin 2, which may be made of insulating refractory material, such as porcelain,but such material being a pool-conductor of heat, I make this spool, by preference, of a metal that may be heated to a dull red Without melting er collapsing; I have found iron er even brass to answer all requirements. Ono of the iiangcs, has cut away two ring seglnen s, on diainetricall y opposite sides, similar to the cut away ring segment illus` tratcd in Fig. 4, in connection with another element of construction, as will presently ap pear. This shape of iiange 3, is shown in elevation in Fig. G, where 4, 4, represent the radial sides ot' one of these cuts, corresponding to the radial sides ei', l', shown in Fig. 4, and 5 represents the circular portion of one of -these cuts, corresponding to the like portion 5', shown in Fig. 4.

The spool 2, has a layer 6,01? refractory im sulating material, like asbestus, upon its eylindrical portion and washers 7, S, of like inaterial on the inner sides of thelianges.v The heating conductor l, is wound on this spool with its turns slightly separated, and with insulating coverings separating the successive layers of Wire, and a linal covering over the last layer o f wire. The insulating material used for `this purpose must be refractory and should also be of such character as to excludel the air from the heating conductor, and I use asbestus cloth sato rated with seine refractory cement. ln this manner the heating conductorbeccines entirely embedded in insulation, practically excluding the air and permitting the use of a base metal wire, such as iron or German silver; I have found the latter to answer all requirements. The projecting ends of this heating conductor are made either of copper or some other good conductor, or are made of the same high resist-ance metal as the main portion, but in the latter case the ends are doubled up a number of times, as is well known to those skilled in the art.

'lhe spool 2, is mounted upon a spindle fl, which projects axially from one end of a cylindrical casting l0, the other end of which is formed into a thinible ll, serevwthreaded internally and receiving the screw-threaded end of the tubular stein or neck l2, to the other end of which the handle 13, is secured. At the point where the spindle i), extends from the casting l0, the latter is formed with a flange 14, which has two diainet-rically opposite ring segments i', 5', el', cut away, as clearly shown in plan view in Fig. Li, and also in elevation in Fig. G; these cuts i', 5', 4', coincide with the like cuts 4, 5, 4, "n the flange 8, ot' the spool 2, hereinbefore described, and his coincidence is preserved by two studs l5, 15, whereby the turning of the spool upon the spindle tf, is prevented.

Upon the cylindrical .casting l0, is mounted IOC) en annular block .16, of porcelain, slate or other refractory insulating material, secured to the flange lei, by screws i7, 17. This bloeit 1G, has mounted upon it two binding posts or conductors i8, 18, at diametrically opposite sides, corresponding in position to the sogmental cuts in the flanges 3 and il, and these connectors or binding posts are secured upon the block by screws 19 sind nuls 20, as shown. Adjacent to these binding posts the block i6,

. has the holes or channels 2l, through which the terminals 22 of the heating condnctor are passed and connected with the binding posts, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 6. To the same binding posts are connected the lending -Wires 23, 23, passing together through the hollowrstenl er neck l2, and then each lh rough a lateral opening 24, in the thiinble 'il oi the casting 10.

The rear portions ot' the devices so far dcscribed are covered by the cylindrical cap 25,

which is formed with neck 2G, loosely fit.' ting over the stern l2, and over the open end of the thilnble llnthiscap when slid forward I the mantle,l thereby clamping over the binding postsand block i6, is clamped to stem\2, by a binding screw 27. A eylin# drical mantle28, having a number rations 29,is then tted with one end against the edge or engaging the edge of the can', and loosely surrounding the heating coil, and the soldering bit 30, is screwed upon the screwthreaded projecting end of the spindle 9,'and engages or nts against the forward edge of the mantle be tween the oep and the bit, and at the saine time securing the bit to the other parte of the tool. i

The point of the bit may be shaped in any t desired manner, according to the natureof of the spool, and thus 1 ,holes 2l, in y"the block the Work which it is desired to perform with the seme, and ordinarily there will be andan /ber of bits, of differently shaped Working points or edges which may be exchanged, but the butt end of each bit is constructed shown, l Theie'is e deep annular groove 3l, formed inl thebntt, face of the bit, lleaving boss or hub in the center; this boss loes a screwhreed cut in a contrai-hole 32, which [its over and screws onto thc'screW-threaded end of the spindle 9. lhe edge of the butt is' :rebbeted-,as shown,to receive the edge of the mantle. The Wall of the butt mcy be left so thick that it Willpartly pass over the flange securely clamp the lattem'tiiisis indicated in dotted lines in Fig. ,2, but this construction is not absolutely necessaig/,since the spool is sufficiently Well me vented from sliding forward by the terminal Wires 22, and the thinner Wells 83,shcvvn in solid lines, are ordinarily sufficient. The terminels of. the heating coli, where they come from' the spoohpass .through/small holes in the ssbestus Washes Zand then til/rough the heidnney from the sides of the -ductor ofv heal, and

of perfo- A .turned upon the saine to partly onwholly cover `1 6; they ere thereby K segmental, `-entsin the flanges? and' le, but 'as en addi! tional precaution against a short-circuit et these points, the cuts may be lined or even filled with insulatino' cement.

The handle 13, has central perforation 13", which at its rear endexpands into a chamber 3i; in this chamber the ends of the leading wires are secured to binding posts, and to the same posts are also connected the terrninais of thc feeding wires 36, which are twisted into a cord which passes through an opening in the cap 37.

Numerous other means for connecting and disconnecting the feeding Wires may be employed, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

The cap 25, the mantle 28 and the bit 30 nre inadc of copper or brass or other good cony when a current ofproper strength is passed through the heating coil, the latter becomes heated first and gradually but rapidly heatsihe other parts, until the bit attains the temperature required for soldering. 'lhs temperature of the bit will be reached when, and will be maintained so long as, the heating coil is in that state of incandescence, which 'is recognized by those skilled in the art as cheri-'y red, and the perforations 2l), in -thc mantle, in conjunction with an accessory device, which will presently be described, enable the operator to'regula/te the heat. 4The heat may also be regulated by regulating the flow of cnrrentbyanyothe vveil known devices, but ordinarily such regulation will bcunnecessary.

The perforations 29 in the inantle 2S; are in one circuler plane, and'betvveen two of these pcri'orations there is formed a short slot 28, shown in Figs. l end 2. A ring29, is loosely fitted upon the mantle and is nrovided with. a row I" perforations 29, corresponding t0 the t :rations 29 on the mantle. ./ltscrewn pin. 29', is tapped into the ring 29., and enters loosely into the slot 28,', whereby the ring is held upon the mantle but is allowed to be length of the slot. When this ring-is turned se es to malte the peforations 29 toregister with the perforations 29, the heet ot" the coll `will 'partly radiate through these holes nud the temperature of the bit will be reduced'. Vlfhen, however, the ring is so turned as to the perforations 29, the radiation into the air is partly orvvhollycut ed, and the temperature of the solder-inc bit rises. ln this manner .i 'ain enabled to ruegu TOO the extent ot' the v late thelieet of the bit within' considerable i liinits Without' varying 4the ficvv of current, and l have found this convenient mode oi regulation quite effective. The ringfl, may be turned by s. pointed tooiwhich in'ay be in? sorted in any one of 'the perforations 29, or

by means ofeJ special'toolsvhich maybe made for the purpose.

T/ith the 'construction herein shown, it is easy to replace one heating' coil by another of c rent capacity, to enchange one formo!" size of bit for another. For this purpose it is only necessary to unscrew the bit by means of a tool inserted in the hole 3S, in the wall of the bit, then remove the mantle, then loosen the screw 27 and slide the cap 25 back upon the neck 12, whereby the binding posts 1S, become accessible. The terminals of the heating coil are then removed from the binding nation of a casting, a spool or bobbin removably mounted upon the same,a heating coil upon the spool and binding posts to which theterminals of the coil are detachably secured; with leading wires also detachably secured to the binding posts, a metallic mantle for the coil, and a removable bit securingthe mantle in place, substantially as described.

2. An electric soldering iron, composed of a removable heating coil mounted upon a casting binding posts for connecting the terminals of the coil with the leading wires, a two part removable metallic covering for the coil and binding posts, and a removable bit for locking these parts together, substantially as described.

3. In an electric soldering iron, the combination of a'cylindrical casting formed at one end into a thimble and at the other end as a spindle, an annular insulating block upon the casting carrying binding posts for connection with the leading Wires passing through the thimble, and a spoolwith a heating coil mounted upon the spindle, said coil having its terminals also connected with the binding posts; with locking pins between the casting and spool to preventthe latter from turning with reference to the former, and a bit screwed upon the spindle, substantially as described.

5. In an electric soldering tool, the combination of a heating coil and a perforated inclosing mantle for the same, with means for controlling the radiation of heat through the pertorations, substantially as described.

5. In an electric soldering tool, the combi# nation of a heating coil and a perforated in closing mantle for the same; with a perforated ring upon the mantle, adapted to turn upon the latter, whereby the size of the passages for radiation of heat from the coil into the aircan be regulated, substantially as described.

G. In an electric soldering tool, the combination of a heating coil and an nclo'sing mantlc provided with a circumferential series of heat rad lating passages; with a ring, rotatable upon the mantle provided with holes corresponding to the said passages, whereby the latter may be partlyA or `Wholly closed and the heat ofthe tool regulated, s', bstantially as described. 

